Battle Lines Harden Over Big Oil’s Role at Climate Talks in Dubai. Sultan al-Jaber leads the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company as well as the COP28 climate talks coming this November. An unavoidable tension surrounds this year’s United Nations-sponsored climate talks in November: They will take place in the oil-rich United Arab Emirates, and the...
Ocean temperatures are off the charts, and El Niño is only partly to blame
In a world of worsening climate extremes, a single red line has caught many people’s attention. The line, which charts sea surface temperatures in the North Atlantic Ocean, went viral over the weekend for its startling display of unprecedented warming—nearly 2 degrees (1.09 Celsius) above the mean dating back to 1982, the earliest year with comparable...
Greta Thunberg: not phasing out fossil fuels is ‘death sentence’ for world’s poor
Climate activist says only ‘rapid and equitable’ phaseout will keep temperatures within 1.5C limit Rich countries are signing a “death sentence” for millions of poor people around the world by failing to phase out fossil fuels, the climate activist Greta Thunberg has told governments. She warned on Tuesday that with annual greenhouse gas emissions at an all-time high,...
Burj Khalifa lights up with Russian flag to honor Russia Day
DUBAI, June 13. /TASS/. The Burj Khalifa tower in the United Arab Emirates was highlighted using Russian flag colors on the occasion of Russia Day on June 12, TASS reports. “Tonight [June 12 – TASS] Burj Khalifa celebrates the rich history, vibrant culture and remarkable achievements of Russia. Wishing the Russian nation a memorable celebration...
How torture, deception and inaction underpin UAE’s thriving sex trafficking industry
African women trafficked into the UAE are forced into debt and subjected to threats and violence, as they are kept in sexual slavery. The case of Christy Gold, who has been charged with sex trafficking in Nigeria, highlights the torment endured by these women in the UAE. On a pleasure boat cruising Gulf waters near...
Gold laundering routes from South Sudan to Dubai via Kenya and Uganda revealed
The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime (GI-TOC) has published a report that presents strong indications that millions of US dollars’ worth of gold is being produced and smuggled out of South Sudan. Tarnished hope; Crime and corruption in South Sudan’s gold sector also outlines how gold is smuggled out of the country, often with the connivance of officials...
‘Absolute scandal’: UAE state oil firm able to read Cop28 climate summit emails
Exclusive: UN conference president Sultan Al Jaber is also head of oil firm, which was consulted on how to respond to a media inquiry The United Arab Emirates’ state oil company has been able to read emails to and from the Cop28 climate summit office and was consulted on how to respond to a media inquiry,...
An oil state hired the biggest PR firms to buff its climate image. It didn’t help.
The United Arab Emirates began paying high-profile advertising and lobbying agencies to green its image ahead of hosting this year’s climate talks. Then the trouble began. One of the world’s wealthiest oil states is engaged in a wide-ranging public relations and lobbying campaign to cast itself as an environmental leader before it hosts the United...
Fake social media profiles wage “organised” propaganda campaign on Cop28
Fake social media profiles have been spreading propaganda messages about Cop28 and attacking criticism of its host, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in what experts called an “organised” campaign. Purporting to be genuine people based in the UAE, scores of individual Twitter accounts publish similar positive content and defend the UAE in replies to posts...
Controversy surrounds climate negotiations as oil group CEO appointed COP28 president
Representatives from nearly 200 countries are meeting in Bonn, Germany, from June 5 to 15, to prepare for the December climate conference. At the heart of the debates is the end of fossil fuels and the creation of a new fund for loss and damage. A technical session to prepare for the world climate conference...